Department for Transport

Road Traffic Offences: Mobile Phones

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to publicise the changes in the law on driving while using a mobile phone which commenceon the 25 March; and in particular the law that drivers must not use a handheld phone when they are stationaryin a traffic queue.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2022 will broaden the offence of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving to cover offline use of phones as well as the interactive communication functions covered now. The Government plans to accompany the law change with a THINK! campaign to remind drivers not to use a hand-held phone at the wheel and to highlight the penalties of choosing to ignore this new law.Nothing in the new Regulations alters the position on what constitutes driving; it has been, and will remain, an offence to use a hand-held mobile phone while stationary in traffic. However, the Government is taking this opportunity to amend Rule 149 of The Highway Code to emphasise this fact.

Public Transport: Fuels

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the effect of rising fuel costs on public transport to ensure that such services are not reduced.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is mindful of the critical role public transport plays in our daily lives and it is monitoring closely the impact of fuel prices on the transport network. My Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor recently froze fuel duty for the twelfth successive year in a row.

Electric Scooters: Hire Services

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 16 February (HL6187), what assessment they have made of (1) the purpose of journeys taken by e-scooter, and (2) the percentage of journeys made by e-scooter that would otherwise be taken by another form of transport.

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the findings of the independent evaluation of e-scooter trails conducted in December 2021.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport has in place a national monitoring and evaluation programme for the e-scooter trials, which is being carried out by Arup and NatCen. This is a mixed-methods impact evaluation drawing from a wide range of data sources, including a data feed from trial e-scooter operators, survey data with e-scooter users and trial areas residents, and qualitative research with local and national stakeholders.As part of this evaluation, we are collecting evidence on the purpose of rental e-scooter journeys and mode shift from other forms of transport. A full set of findings from this evaluation will be in the final report due to be published in later in 2022.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Forests and Land Use

Lord Alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in delivering on the commitments made in the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use.

Lord Callanan: Since its announcement on 2 November, the Government has received additional endorsements of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, taking the number of countries to 142 (responsible for over 90% of the world’s forest estate). The Government is continuing to engage with countries to convert this political commitment into strong action. This will include through meetings of the G7 and G20, and at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Trees are at the forefront of the Government’s plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. For example, under the England Trees Action Plan, supported by an intended £500m from the Nature for Climate Fund, an unprecedented number of trees will be planted and protected.

Home Upgrade Grant

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of low carbon technology installations such as heat pumps that will be covered by the Home Upgrade Grant scheme.

Lord Callanan: The Government has allocated a total of £1.1 billion to the Home Upgrade Grant, with delivery taking place from early 2022 to March 2025. It will provide support to low-income families living off the gas grid to transition to low carbon heating, including heat pumps. The Home Upgrade Grant funds all energy efficiency and low-carbon heating measures that can be modelled by Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP).

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their proposed Boiler Upgrade System will be fully implemented by 1 April; what discussions they have had with the industry regarding the implementation of that scheme; and when they will publish full details on how the scheme will be implemented.

Lord Callanan: Earlier this month, we announced the launch dates for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. The scheme will open for installer account creation on 11 April, and voucher applications will open 23 May. All systems commissioned from 1 April will be entitled to support under the scheme. These dates were communicated directly to industry. The Government has had, and continues to have, significant engagement with industry including manufacturers, installers, trade associations and industry standards bodies. Ofgem consulted at the end of last year to seek industry views on their administration of the scheme.

Fossil Fuels: North Sea

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to open a new round of North Sea exploration licences.

Lord Callanan: The Government will introduce a climate compatibility checkpoint, which will be used to assess whether any future licensing rounds remain in keeping with the UK’s climate goals. The Government has invited contributions on the design of the checkpoint with a public consultation which closed at the end of February. The Government is considering the responses to the consultation and will announce the outcome in due course.

Oil: Russia

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toreduce the UK’s reliance on Russian oil.

Lord Callanan: The Government has confirmed that the UK will phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year. The UK is a significant producer of both crude oil and petroleum products and participates in a global market of alternative suppliers. The Government will work with companies through a new Taskforce on Oil to support them to make use of the transitory period in finding alternative supplies. Over the course of the year the taskforce will work closely with international partners including the USA, the Netherlands, and the Gulf to ensure alternative supplies of fuel products.

Energy Supply: Imports

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the UK's energy needs are currently being met from the UK's own resources; and what proportion of this is dependent on the importing of (1) oil, and (2) gas, from overseas suppliers.

Lord Callanan: The most recent data (Energy Trends, December 2021) for the 9 months to September 2021 shows 60.4 per cent of our energy needs was met from indigenous production. Of the remaining 37.4 per cent (with stock changes accounting for the residual difference), 20 per cent of our net imports was for primary oil and oil products and 64 per cent for gas. The vast majority of our gas imports came from reliable suppliers such as Norway.

Department for Education

Music: Vocational Education

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the final number of entries to Music VTQs for Level (1) 1, (2) 2, and (3) 3, in each of the past three academic years for which figures are available.

Baroness Barran: Data on the number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 entering level 1 and level 2 vocational qualifications is available in Table 1 of the attachment.Data on the number of pupils aged 16 to 18 entering level 3 applied general and tech level qualifications in music, in all schools and colleges in England between academic years 2018/19 and 2020/21, is available in Table 2 of the attachment.HL6720_table  (pdf, 17.8KB)

Independent Higher Education

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the representations by Independent Higher Education that the market for validation services is “dysfunctional, opaque, unreliable and anti-competitive”.

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to fulfil commitments made by the Office for Students to review the state of competition in the market for validation services.

Baroness Barran: The Office for Students (OfS) published 'Consultation on quality and standards conditions - Analysis of responses to consultation and decision' on 2 March 2022, in response to its consultation on quality and standards conditions. This publication acknowledges that several issues were raised during the consultation about validation. The OfS has signalled that it will consider further the operation of the validation system in England, including the extent to which OfS should use the commissioning power given to the OfS by section 50 of the Higher Education Act 2017. We are expecting the OfS to consider a review of the validation system in the coming financial year.

Vocational Education: Qualifications

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the extent to which the requirement that institutions seeking Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs) should have more than 50 per cent of their students studying at Level 6 or above is holding back the development of higher technical qualifications at Level 4 and Level 5.

Baroness Barran: The Office for Students (OfS) published its response to its consultation on the quality and standards conditions on 2 March. This publication acknowledges that several issues were raised during the consultation about requirements on institutions seeking Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs).We are expecting the OfS to consider a review of DAPs in the coming financial year and expect that review to consider the case for intervention in the DAPs to increase the availability of high-quality courses across England.In addition, it is a key government priority to grow level 4 and 5 provision. We are doing more to support level 4 and 5 provision by raising the profile and prestige of level 4 and 5 courses through improved communications and information, advice, and guidance, including through the launch of a new national communications campaign in January 2022. We will also Introduce the Lifelong Learning Entitlement from 2025 to support a more accessible, flexible system.The department will be continuing to roll out reforms to higher technical education to ensure that, over time, Higher Technical Qualifications (qualifications approved to deliver the skills employers need) are established as a flagship offer at level 4 and 5, including improving student finance to support learners in accessing these qualifications. Providing further funding to support providers with the upfront investments required to roll out Higher Technical Qualifications and strategic priorities grant funding to encourage and support level 4 and 5 provision.   Through the higher education reform consultation we are also seeking views on the role of the fees and funding system in growing provision and uptake of level 4 and 5 courses.

Office for Students

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of appointing an SME Champion within the governance structures of the Office for Students.

Baroness Barran: The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 specifies that the Office for Students’ (OfS) board consists of the following members appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education: a chair, the Chief Executive Officer, the Director for Fair Access and Participation, and between 7 and 12 ordinary members.In appointing the chair and the ordinary members, the Secretary of State must also have regard to the desirability of the OfS’s members having a range of experience. The current board is therefore made up of members with a range of experience and expertise including Monisha Shah, the former chair of Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, Monisha brings expertise and experience from a small provider perspective to the OfS board.The OfS also works closely with Independent HE, along with other higher education sector mission groups, to understand how regulation impacts higher education providers, including the challenges for small and specialist providers.Finally, the OfS Director for Fair Access and Participation, John Blake, for example, recognised in his speech on 8 February that smaller providers found the access and participation plan process more challenging and that the OfS will work closely with them to ensure that regulation of them is proportionate, effective and fair, John Blake's speech is available to view at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/next-steps-in-access-and-participation/.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a dedicated budget line for SEN funding.

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the process by which local councils allocate SEN funding; and in particular, whether it matchs their provision of £6,000 per child, plus the additional cost for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

Baroness Barran: The department has no plans to create a new dedicated budget for special educational needs (SEN), beyond the existing high needs block within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). It is important that schools have the flexibility to decide on how best to support their pupils with SEN or disabilities (SEND), within all their available resources, and that they work closely with the relevant local authority in supporting those with more complex needs for whom additional resources are required.Local authorities are required to provide mainstream schools, through the local schools funding formula, with sufficient funds to meet the additional cost of supporting pupils with SEN, up to £6,000 per pupil per annum. Local funding formulae vary in the way funding is allocated for this purpose, but all include factors which take account of the level of pupils’ disadvantage, for example, the number of pupils with low attainment in their previous phase of education.Furthermore, local authorities give schools additional top-up funding from their high needs budget. This is used when the additional support required for a pupil cost more than £6,000 and can also support schools which are particularly inclusive or whose pupils have a greater range of SEN than the local funding formula might suggest. The high needs block of the DSG, which funds local authorities’ high needs budgets for children and young people with more complex needs, will total more than £9 billion in the 2022/23 financial year. This is a 13% increase over the 2021/22 financial year.Local authorities’ funding processes differ, particularly those for allocating high needs funding to schools, but both the local school funding formula and the local high needs funding arrangements have to be discussed at the local schools forum.Ultimately, local authorities are accountable for spending from the high needs allocation they receive from the department. Our guidance indicates that their responsibility for spending decisions should be discharged fairly, reasonably and after proper consultation.

Office for Students

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to compel the Office for Students to increase transparency through the publication of a Register of Validating Providers.

Baroness Barran: The Office for Students (OfS) Register provides information on which registered providers offer validated provision, and which registered providers offer validating services.We are expecting the OfS to consider a review of the validation system in the coming financial year and expect that review to consider the case for intervention in the validation system in order to increase the availability of high-quality courses across England.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ukraine: International Assistance

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate the provision of medical assistance to Ukraine by (1) other countries, and (2) non-governmental organisations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has now committed £395 million in aid to the current crisis. This includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance which will be used to save lives, protect vulnerable people inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. This funding will help aid agencies respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation by providing access to basic necessities and medical supplies. UK Government humanitarian experts have also deployed to the region to support those fleeing the violence in Ukraine.The UK has matched pound for pound the public's first £25 million for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which has now surpassed £100 million. Donating will help DEC charities provide food, water, shelter and healthcare to refugees and displaced families.

Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what medical supplies and assistance they are providing to Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has now committed £395 million in aid to the current crisis. This includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance which will be used to save lives, protect vulnerable people inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. This funding will help aid agencies respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation by providing access to basic necessities and medical supplies. UK Government humanitarian experts have also deployed to the region to support those fleeing the violence in Ukraine.

Colombia: Mining

Lord Alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are takingto ensure that UK companies carrying out extractive activities in Colombia support (1) smallholder farmers, (2) indigenous peoples, and (3) local communities.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As set out in the FCDO Annual Human Rights Report, we expect British businesses to respect local and international law wherever they operate. The UK was the first country to create a National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This plan sets out the expected conduct of UK businesses, including compliance with relevant laws and respect for human rights; treating the risk of causing human rights abuses as a legal compliance issue; adopting appropriate due diligence policies; and consulting those who could potentially be affected. The UK also supports multilateral mechanisms, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains, which sets out recommendations to help ensure companies respect the human rights of local communities.Colombia is an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country and since 2020, UK funding has supported engagement between small-scale and large-scale mining companies in Antioquia to address security and human rights risks, and supported the development of guides for joint risk assessments between extractive companies, public security forces and communities to help prevent community-corporate conflicts.

Overseas Companies: Human Rights

Lord Alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to protect thehuman rights of local communities in which UK companies trading at the London Stock Exchange carry out extractive activities.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In relation to the extractives sector, the UK Government works through a number of international mechanisms including support to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains which enables businesses to operate responsibly in conflict affected and high risk areas and as a member of the Kimberley Process to help stem the flow of conflict diamonds. The UK is also a member of the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights which promote a set of principles to guide companies in the extractives sector to maintain the safety and security of their operations in a manner that reduces the risk of human rights abuses including in local communities.More broadly, the Government expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The UK is signatory to the 1976 OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multi-National Enterprises, which adopted the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Northern Ireland Protocol

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in their negotiations with the European Commission on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; what consultations they are holding with (1) the Northern Ireland political parties, (2) representatives of the Northern Ireland business community, in relation to the progress of these talks; and when they expect the negotiations to conclude.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The tenth meeting of the Ireland and Northern Ireland Specialised Committee took place earlier this week. We made clear our ongoing determination to address all outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, and to find durable solutions as soon as possible for the benefit of people and businesses in Northern Ireland.We are not setting deadlines but there are still significant gaps and the need for solutions is urgent.In addition to talks there is also regular ongoing Ministerial and official engagement with political parties, business groups, civil society and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to hold talks with the government of Mauritius to discuss the next steps for the Chagos Islands, including the restoration of the right of Chagossians to return to and resettle the Islands.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. There remains no right of abode in BIOT.The UK is currently delivering an approximately £40 million ($50 million) Chagossian Support Package, over a ten year period, to improve Chagossian livelihoods in the communities where they now live: in Mauritius, the Seychelles and the UK.As close friends and Commonwealth partners we remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on issues of mutual interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over BIOT, which we have held continuously since 1814.

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Military Aid

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to supply the Ukrainian Defence Forces with missiles capable of destroying Russian landing ships in the Black Sea off Odessa.

Baroness Goldie: The UK is working closely with Allies to continue to provide more lethal and non-lethal defensive equipment to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Defence has not received a request from Ukraine for missiles capable of destroying Russian landing ships. All requests are carefully considered and based on Ukraine's needs.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Children

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people aged 16 to 19 who are on Universal Credit sre studying for a post-16 qualification.

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people aged 16 to 19 who are receiving Universal Credit have successfully completed a post-16 qualification.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Children

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people aged 16 to 19 are receiving Universal Credit.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: From the latest provisional statistics published on Stat-Xplore, on 13 January 2022, 148,000 people on Universal Credit are aged 16 to 19.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fish Farming: Animal Welfare

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the Scottish Government to introduce mandatory welfare inspections for farmed fish by APHA Scotland; and what plans they have, if any, to introduce mandatory inspections for farmed fish in England.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any protected animal, or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of an animal, including fish, for which that person is responsible. Current regulations (1009/2009) require that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. Any allegations of welfare or health issues will be investigated by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Cefas, and where there are non-compliances with the regulations, appropriate action will be taken. Visits to fish farms in Scotland are carried out by trained APHA inspectors in liaison with Marine Scotland Fish Inspectors in accordance with the requirements of Scottish Government (SG). APHA has been instructed by the SG to carry out inspections of farmed salmon slaughter facilities and based on these findings SG will then assess the need for future planned inspections. In England and Wales, there is no routine animal welfare inspection programme at farmed fish processing premises. However, as part of our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are carefully considering issues raised in the review of the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015, including detailed protections for the welfare of farmed fish. We are also asking the Animal Welfare Committee to update its 2014 Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing.

Home Office

Aflak Ahmad

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to extradite Aflak Ahmad, who registered Aflak Travelling Abroad Ltd at Companies House on 21 December 2020; and whether any action has been taken against the provider of their London office address.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The decision to seek a person’s extradition is one taken by the UK’s prosecuting authorities and law enforcement agencies. As a long-standing matter of policy, we will neither confirm nor deny that an extradition request had been made until such time as an arrest had been made.I can however confirm that Companies House has (as of 8 March) commenced action to strike the company from the register of companies. A notice has been published in the London Gazette.

Independent Office for Police Conduct

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 7 March (HL Deb col 1118), whether there is a time limit on the start of misconduct hearings announced by Police and Crime Commissioners; and if not,what plans they have to introduce one.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Police misconduct hearings are dealt with under The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 This sets out that the Chair of the hearing must ensure that the hearing commences within 100 working days of the date an officer is served with a notice informing them their case is being referred to disciplinary proceedings This period can be extended at the discretion of the independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC), where it decides it is in the interests of justice to do so.

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the emergency visa office for Ukrainian refugees is in Lille and not Calais; and how many visas for Ukrainian refugees have been issued there for each week since it opened.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: To support people in Northern France who are eligible for the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Home Office has set up a new temporary Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Arras, replacing the interim site in Lille. The Arras VAC is now open. It will only be used for referrals from Border Force of Ukrainians arriving in Calais without visas. Individuals eligible for the Ukraine Family Scheme should not travel to Arras or Northern France, but instead apply online (if they hold a valid passport), or make an appointment to attend their nearest VAC in person. Transport can be arranged from Calais if needed for those being referred. Information on the number of applications issued under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage.

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Home Secretary on 8 March that they have “surged a Home Office team” to help at Calais, why Ukrainian refugees are unable to be processed more rapidly in Calais than at other locations.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Prior to the conflict the Home Office had one Visa Application Centre (VAC) based in France, that being the VAC in Paris.To support people in Northern France who are eligible for the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Home Office has set up a new temporary Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Arras, replacing the interim site in Lille. The Arras VAC is now open. It will only be used for referrals from Border Force of Ukrainians arriving in Calais without visas. Individuals eligible for the Ukraine Family Scheme should not travel to Arras or Northern France, but instead apply online (if they hold a valid passport), or make an appointment to attend their nearest VAC in person which is an easier way of getting the permissions to travel to the UK needed.

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other countries to coordinate the provision of visas for refugees from Ukraine.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Secretary is continuing to speak to her international counterparts to ensure we are taking appropriate action to support the Ukrainian Government and people. The Home Secretary is in regular contact with the French Interior Minister Darmanin to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the support the UK was offering to those fleeing the conflict. We are also working closely with Five Eyes partners to explore how we can best coordinate our respective offers of migration assistance.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Refugees: Ukraine

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that those who need to leave Ukraine are welcomed into the UK.

Lord Greenhalgh: I refer the Noble Lord to the Secretary of State's Oral Statement (attached) to Parliament of 14 March 2022.Oral Statement (pdf, 404.8KB)

Domestic Visits: North East

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the ministerial visits mentioned in theLevelling Up the United Kingdom white paper, published on 2 February, will take place in the North of East of England.

Lord Greenhalgh: Ministers and officials are visiting all parts of the UK, including the North East, to hear from a range of voices from all tiers of government, the public and private sectors, and community and voluntary groups.In March, Ministers and senior officials have visited Newcastle, Blyth, Hartlepool, Darlington and Sunderland. Further activity will be undertaken after the local elections in May.

Regional Planning and Development

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the local panels mentioned in theLevelling Up the United Kingdom white paper, published on 2 February, will take place following ministerial visits in the consultation phase.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will be carrying out cause-based consultations in the North East following the Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper, published on 2 February, as part of the ministerial level visits.

Lord Greenhalgh: We are creating a range of opportunities for people to give their views on Levelling Up including focus groups in local areas and a national public survey, both launching in March. Further activity will be undertaken after the local elections in May.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: CCTV

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Cabinet Officeplan to issue new procurement guidance to exclude surveillance camera suppliers linked with (1) modern slavery, and (2) human rights violations; and whether this will apply to public bodies in the education sector.

Lord True: The Cabinet Office published in Procurement Policy Note 05/19 comprehensive commercial policy and guidance to identify and tackle modern slavery and labour abuse risks throughout the commercial life cycle. This advocates a risk based approach and applies to central government, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Other public sector contracting authorities may wish to apply the approach set out in this PPN. This is being updated to strengthen the guidance on using the existing grounds in the Public Contracts Regulations for excluding suppliers, and will set out enhanced means of proof and due diligence activities. This will be published in due course.

Treasury

National Income

Lord Hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK GDP was lower at the end of 2021 than at the end of December 2019.

Baroness Penn: The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for measuring UK GDP. In the three months to December 2021 UK real GDP was 0.4% below its level in the three months to December 2019, where the economy was affected by restrictions necessitated by the Omicron wave at the end of the year. The ONS also produce monthly GDP figures, which show that in January 2022 real GDP was 0.8% above the level prior to the pandemic in February 2020.

God Bless: Help Earth, Help Universe, Alien Space Works, Organization für Anthropologie und Kultivierung & Nelleh

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to investigate the affairs of“God Bless: Help Earth, Help Universe, Alien Space Works, Organization Für Anthropologie Und Kultivierung & Nelleh Limited”, a companywhose business is the “Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery” and “Banks”; and whether they will provide the date on which it was authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to offer banking services.

Baroness Penn: ‘God Bless: Help Earth, Help Universe, Alien Space Works, Organization Für Anthropologie Und Kultivierung & Nelleh Limited’ is not authorised by the FCA and is not listed on the FCA register. Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services it does not have investigative or prosecuting powers of its own and is not able to intervene in individual cases.

Investment Income: Taxation

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many taxpayers paid tax on dividends at the rate of (1) 7.5 per cent, (2) 32.5 per cent, and (3) 38.1 per cent, in the last year for which figures were available; and what was the amount paid by each category of taxpayer.

Baroness Penn: From current estimates, in the tax year 2021-22 there were 1,440,000 taxpayers who paid tax on dividends at the rate of 7.5 per cent with the total liabilities at this rate equalling £2 billion. There were 615,000 taxpayers who paid tax on dividends at the rate of 32.5 per cent with total liabilities at this rate equalling £4.89 billion. There were 135,000 taxpayers who paid tax on dividends at the rate of 38.1 per cent with the total liabilities at this rate equalling £5.25 billion. The estimates for the number of individuals are based on the tax rate at which the last pound of dividend income is taxed. Some individuals may also have dividend income taxed at different rates. For liabilities, this has been totalled at the rate at which the tax was paid. These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and projected forward in line with the Autumn Budget forecast.

Banca Nazionale Del Lavoro Spa Ltd

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date Banca Nazionale Del Lavoro Spa Ltd, registered at Companies House on 29 November 2021, was authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); and whether FCA approval was sought before the registration of the company.

Baroness Penn: Banca Nazionale Del Lavoro Spa Ltd is not authorised by the FCA, and not listed on the FCA register. There was an entity with the same name which was an EEA based firm that had permissions to passport into the UK until March 2008.In September 2020 the Government announced reforms to Companies House.  These constitute the most significant changes to the role and powers of Companies House since its creation in 1844.In February 2022 the Government published a white paper detailing the way the reforms will operate to strengthen and safeguard the UK’s business environment by tackling economic crime and supporting our national security, whilst delivering a more reliable companies register to underpin business activity.More broadly, the Government takes issues of fraud very seriously. We continue to work closely with industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit. Companies House already supports law enforcement on hundreds of cases each month.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Statement in October 2021 are not applicable to Northern Ireland because of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

Baroness Penn: There are no measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Statement in October 2021 which are not applicable to Northern Ireland because of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.